A few months ago, I warned you about the deceptive reformulation of 7-Up, allowing soft-drink manufacturer Cadbury Schweppes to market their uncool "Uncola" as a natural product.
Despite warnings to the contrary and the threat of a lawsuit from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 7-Up sales have risen an amazing 18 percent since the campaign began nearly four months ago versus the previous year.
No wonder, considering this deceptive advertising campaign shows people treating 7-Up products like natural produce (picked from trees in an orchard or treated like a fruit in your neighborhood grocery store's produce department).
It is very clear the food industry continually seeks to manipulate and deceive you so you will purchase their conveniently tasty wares to make them richer and you sicker. Typically, it is a bit more subtle and less obvious than the blatant attempts by Young and Rubicam to capitalize on natural foods.
7-Up has clearly gone over the edge with their blatant and fraudulent attempt to gain market share. It is shocking to me that the FTC doesn't slap them with the huge fines they deserve for this deception. Fortunately, we don't need the FTC to punish them. We can do it.
I don't believe anyone can justify drinking soda, and hopefully those of you who are reading this don't drink any, but I'm sure you know someone who does, which is why Cadbury Schweppes' actions clearly call for a boycott.
Of course, soft drink companies won't tell you consuming one extra can a day over the course of a year can add up to 15 pounds. Nor do they mention their products displaced white bread as the leading source of calories in the American diet last year.
Fortunately, making the switch from soft drinks to pure water is one of the best and easiest steps you can make to improve your health. Because soft drinks can be as addictive as nicotine, making quitting all the harder, I encourage you to learn Turbo Tapping, a modification of the Emotional Freedom Technique that can speed up your transition to healthier living.